Meet Kentisha Shine of Atlanta

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kentisha Shine.

Hi Kentisha, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I always grew up either singing in a church or singing with my family and so I always had music in my life even small. I started out in Band playing the clarinet and choir in 6th grade after I did those music tests they had us do in elementary school! My choir teacher encouraged us to audition for the high school shows to see if we liked it, and so I did. I remember learning the dances and music during the audition and I was just so fulfilled with emotion because it just felt so right and clicked so quick in my mind and it was an outlet I enjoyed and honestly needed. I remember going home that night of auditions and showing my grandma outside on our driveway pavement, everything I learned from that day, with a huge smile on my face. I ended up being in the ensemble in Annie the Musical in at Adairsville high school and that’s where it cemented no matter what I was going to do growing up, it has to be in the arts. Has to be. All in middle/High School I was in Band, Marching Band, Choir, and Musicals up until senior year of High school and I am so grateful because I had my grandma who stayed behind in Adairsville throughout my years there after my family had to leave town sadly after my oldest brother passing. My Grandma knew how much finding my home and community meant, she stayed in Adairsville and we made it with the help of my friends and add on family to let me be there till my Junior Year. Senior year, my grandma also had to leave town due to my uncles passing and so my Friend Romeo asked his mom to let me stay with her my whole senior year to let me be able to graduate where I knew home was. And she said yes! With that, I got the opportunity to teach Musical Theatre Dance Classes at Dancers Workshop Calhoun, and it just added more fuel to the fire that I essentially decided this was my life. Decided after High school, I wanted to go to Young Harris College for Musical Theatre. I did my 4 beautiful years there learning not only about Musical Theatre, but learning Stage Craft, lights, sounds, stage management as a whole and about loading in/out (strike was always a favorite- I got to break things at times!) and everything you need to be well rounded in a huge field like this! A huge shout out to my Vocal Professor Dr. Shelley Sanderson and my Acting Professor Anne Towns for not giving up on me or their students. I owe them many flowers! They never let me give up on me or my voice and helped me in so many ways to blossom into who I am! I had a few opportunities during the summer with Wicosuta camp counselor in New Hampshire & Disney college program and they were mostly fun because almost every summer I got to be in a different state! During my senior year doing SETC, I accepted the acting apprenticeship position from Aurora Theatre in Lawrenceville, GA in 2024. So I graduated, worked two jobs for two months to save up to make the big move, packed up, (got my license) and started my career at a beautiful theatre. I got to do a full year of working with professionals in our industry, learning with dance and vocal training, and got to have many opportunities due to the apprenticeship program Aurora Theatre provides. Now I’m here in ATL and I’m currently A Teaching Artist for The Alliance Theatre for the summer and when I’m not auditioning, I’m trying to do classes to keep my skills up, and bartending on the side!

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Hahahahahahaha it’s never going to be a smooth road. At least for me, I have been knowing it’s not. I grew up poor and financially till this day it’s a struggle, but I hustle and work to make it and most of the time have the biggest smile on my face! But the struggle I want to talk about is vocally. I am a contralto (essentially meaning I can sing tenor/bari notes as a woman), but I wasn’t born that way. I actually had a higher singing voice growing up, however I grew up having terrible acid reflux that one day (3/4th grade) I couldn’t speak and my mom rushed me to an ER that transferred me to the EMT. We did tests, and it showed that the acid reflux was eating at my voice box so badly I was not only losing my voice, but essentially I had holes slowly being made. He told my mother, I shouldn’t be talking and that year I did just that (or at least little me tried). I got onto strong medications, to help me with my acid reflux, monitored procedures and tests, and had to take voice and speech classes (I also had that good ole apraxia of speech). Growing up. Was. Hard. After that. It was a long journey as my voice didn’t magically come back as I’d hope, it took 1.5 years fully to be finally Healthy again and it was hard because I was a girl that was singing lower than low and there were days, I remember thinking, I wish I was a man, I can do so much they can, but I look like a women. I categorized with the girls and women! I would sing and at that time I couldn’t navigate up through my Passagio and into my higher notes. When I did, it was a raspy thin sound and I remember thinking, “how can I do this”….as a 11/12 year old now. I genuinely believe if it wasn’t for younger me’s determination, I wouldn’t have none of this. I kept singing what I could do and joined choir BUT I want to also give band a huge shout out, because my clarinet played what I couldn’t sing and it did a lot of healing. I got into choir and was alto all my life and it helped me use the tools I learned to navigate more into my voice and if it wasn’t for college and those voice lessons I wouldn’t have the range I do now, with my higher voice. Till this day, I am still challenging my voice with warmups, voice lessons, and just everyday singing, because I put so much into myself, I know we will get to that level I know I can be at! My vocal range currently is G2-F5. Now as an adult the most challenging thing for me is when do I show my voice in the room and when is it the right moment, because we are very much in the world of today which is soprano, bright, belter, and friends….I am the total opposite. AND THATS OKAY!!! I was told very eary in college “you’re going to have to pave your way to get where you want, you are different than what a lot are looking for” and I took that as a challenge and said Bet. Now that’s just what I’m trying to do! I’m taking this loud, brass, raspy, belting, voice and showing the world who I am! A huge shoutout of inspiration and guidance I have gained from two women named, ‘Daja Rice’ and ‘Shena Renee Brown” I believe they’re both ATL performers but The vocal power on these two women is insane and they can do almost anything in my eyes! I got to work with both of them during ‘The Color Purple’ at Aurora Theatre and I just wanna shout out how well they not only know their voices, they know how to perfectly layout and showcase their highs and low low vocal powers through songs. They both showed me how to still keep the song the same but with my own twists and layouts and that on cases, it’s okay to change a key! They both have gave me very great advice that I use for when I’m ready to show a room what I got and helped me multiple times after. I am grateful for so many people that have helped me for the better!

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
So when I’m not auditioning, I am working as a bartender currently at Aurora Theatre as I love to socialize! I am also currently a Teaching Artist at Alliance Theatre and I am specifically teaching students from K-2 musical Theatre camp, Acting Camp, and Design Camps. It is such a blessing as not only am I helping a generation learn, I’m helping a lot just learn skills they need to thrive in life with the use of theatre and music. I prayed I’d be able to give back as my educators growing up believed and poured so much in me, I want to do the same for these generations to come! I also started a fun earring page on instagram! It’s called @_Shiningbright._ mostly because I wanted to give happiness in the form of earrings! She’s still slowly growing but I’m excited to see what in store!

I’m proud of not giving up. I could’ve years and years ago, but I haven’t yet. I also was jokingly told from people they cannot wait to crack open my autobiography book and I’m just saying “maybe a few decades from now hehe, but as of right now, I am an open book. Ask and I will gladly talk. The good, bad, and straight up ugly!”

Do you have any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
Sometime in High school, living with my grandma and we were decorating our apartment. I had the music playing and pentatonix’s hallelujah came on and we were just singing together decorating our tree.
And
Not a childhood memory but
Seeing Moana with my grandma as that is my last time being with her in person. She was on hospice, full of joy, and even remembered and asked “is this the movie I walked in on you crying (years ago) because of the grandma?” And I just chuckled and said “yes, Grandma” even in that moment. I was so happy for that full circle moment.
Any memories with her is a good one.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @Kentisha.s
• Other: Earrings Instagram: _Shiningbright._